Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-27
CHAPTER VIII.
JESS GOES TO PRETORIA.


nounced that she was going on the morrow
to Pretoria to see Jane Neville
ITO see Jane hewlett" said Bessie, opening
her blue eyes wide. "Why it was only last
month you said that you did not care about
Jane Neville now, because she had grown SO
vulgar. Don't you remember when she
stopped here on her way down to Natal last
year, and held up her fat hands, and said
'Ah, Jess-Jess is geniusl 1t is privilege
to know her. And then she wanted you to
quote Shakespeare to that lump of n brother
of hers, and you told her that if see did not
hold her tongue she would not enjoy the
privilege much longer. And now you want
to go and stop with her for two months
Well, jess, you are odd. And what's more,
think it is very unkind of you to go away
for so long"
To all of which prattle jess said nothing,
butmerely reiterated her determination to go.
John, too, was astonished and, to tell the
truth, not little disguised Since the pre-
vious day, when he had that talk with her in
Lion Kloof, jess had assumed a clearer and
more difnite interest in his eyes. Before that
she had been an enigma: now he had guessed
enough about her to make him anxious to
know more. Indeed, he had not perhaps
realized how stronfsand definite his interest
was till he heard that she was going away
for O long period, Suddenly it struck him
that the farm would be very dull without
this interesting woman moving about the
place in her silent, resoute kind of way
Bessie was, no doubt, delightful and charm
ing to look on, but she had not got her sis
ter's brains and originality; and John Mel
was sufficiently above the ordinary run to thor
oughly appreciate intellect and originality in a
woman, instead of standing aghast at it. She
interested him intensely, to say the least Of it,
and, manlike, he felt exceedingly put out
and even sulky, at the idea of her departure
He looked at her in remonstrance, and even
In awkwardness begotten of his irritation,
knocked down the vinegar cruet and made
mess upon the table; but she evaded his eyes
and took notice Of the vinegar. Then,
feeling that he had done ail that in him lay
he went to see about the ostriches; first of ALL
hanging about q little TO see if jess would
come out, which she did not. Indeed, he saw
nothing more of her till supper time. Bessie
told him that she said she was busy packing;
but, as one can only take twenty pounds
weight of luggage III post cart, this did not
quite convince him that it was SO in fact.
At supper she was, if possible, even more
quiet than she had been at dinner. After it
was over he asked her to sing, but she de-
clined, saying that she had given up singing
for the present, and persisting i'll her state
ment i'll spite Of the chorus of remonstrance it
aroused. The birds only sing while they are
mating; and it is, by the way a curious
thing, and suggestive of the theory that the
same great principles pervade all nature, that
jess, now that her trouble had overtuken her.
and that she had lost her love which had sud
denly sprung from her heart-full grown and
clad in power Athena sprung from the
head of Jove-had no further inclination to
use her divine gift of song. 1t probably was
nothing more than a coincidence, but it was a
curious one.
The arrangement was that on the morrow
jess was to be driven in the Cape cart to
Martlnus- Wesselstroom, more commonly
called Wakkerstroom, and there catch the
post cart, which was timed to leave the town
at midday, though when it would leave was
quite another matter. Post carts are not par
ticular to day or SO in the TransvaaL
Old Sias Croft was going to drive her with
Bessie, who had some shopping to do in WAX
Restroom, as ladies sometimes have; but at
the last moment the old man got Fremont
tory twinge of the rheumatism, to which he
was a martyr, and could not 60, so, of course,
John volunteered, and, though jess raised
some difficulties, Bessie furthered the idea,
anu III JHe emu Ills OIeT was accepted.
Accordingly at $50 on a beautiful morning
up came the tented cart, with its two massive
Wheels stout stinkwood disselboom, and four
spirited young horses; to the head of which
the Hottentot Jantje assisted by the Zulu
Mouti, clad in the sweet simplicity of a
mocha, few feathers in his wool, and a
horn snuff box stuck through the heshy part
of the ear, hung grimly on In they got
John first, then Bessie next to him, then jess.
Next Jantj e scrambled up behind; and after
some preliminary backing and plunging. and
showing a disposition to Irvine themselves
affectionately round the orange trees, off
went the horses at a hand gallop, and away
swung the cart after them, in fashion that
would have frightened anybody not accus-
toned to that mode of progression pretty well
out of his wits. AS it was, John had as much
as be could do to keep the four horses together
and to prevent them from boiling, and this
alone, to say nothing of the rafting and
jolting of the vehicle over the uneven track
was sufficient to put a stop to any attempt at
conversation.
Wakkerstroom was about eighteen miles
from Mooifontein, "A distance that they
covered well within the two hours. Here the
horses were outspanned at the hotel, aud John
went into the house whence the post cart was
the ladies at the "Kantoor," or store where
they were shopping. After the shopping was
done they went back to the inn together and
had some dinner; by which time the Hotten-
tot driver of the cart began to tune up Justify,
but unmelodiously, on bugle to inform in
tending passengers That it was time TO start.
Bessie was out of the room at the moment,
and, with the exception of peculiarly dirty
looking coolie waiter, there was nobody
about
slow long are you going to be away Miss
Jessp asked John.
1.-TWO months, more or less, Capt. Mel"
~ am very sorry that you are going" he
said, earnestly. at will be very duh at the
farm without you"
"There will be Bessie for you to talk to-"
she answered, turning her face to the win
dow and affecting to watch the inspanning
of the post cart in the yard ON which it
looked.
"Capt. Mel" she said, suddenly,